Chapter 2
Hayes
I needed a fucking minute.
Instead of following Lewis up to the front entrance of the house where folks were gathering before lunch was served, I slipped into the side entrance that went straight into the kitchen.
Dark-uniformed catering staff rushed to dress salad plates that were lined up across the massive island.
I sidestepped the madness and dipped into the pantry that was almost as big as the kitchen itself.
I pawed through the stash of dry goods and cooking equipment, looking for something to take the edge off.
I didn’t drink, but a sip wouldn’t hurt.
“What are you doing snooping in my kitchen?”
I spun at the scolding voice, good-natured as it was.
Hallie stood behind me with her hands on her hips. Her copper hair spilled out of the giant clip she used to keep it away from her face. Even though we were around the same age, Hallie had a maternal presence that had me tucking tail.
“Just needed a minute,” I said, not wanting her to feel the brunt of my exhaustion and grief.
“That lawyer’s in the study.”
I let out a sharp breath as I rested my hands on the edge of the marble countertop and closed my eyes. “Hence why I’m in here.”
Without saying a word, Hallie reached for a canister labeled Buckwheat, lifted the top, and produced a bottle of whiskey. She opened a canister that claimed to be wild rice and pulled out two shot glasses, then filled both and handed me one. “To Walt.”
My throat was too tight to speak, but Hallie wasn’t fazed when I didn’t echo the sentiment. I nodded and tapped my shot glass to hers.
I didn’t drink the whole pour. Instead, I let a tiny splash of liquor linger on my tongue, hoping the fire would burn away the knot in my throat.
It didn’t.
“That’s all you get,” Hallie said as she returned the bottle to its hiding place. “Now get going before Lewis weasels his way into owning the whole damn estate. If he’s my new boss, I quit.”
Hallie Campbell had been a cornerstone of the family estate for the last few years. Needing a little more work to make ends meet, she had come to work for my granddad after my grandma passed. She made sure he ate and she helped with the housework as his mobility faded.
Granddad didn’t want to slow down, but his body told a different story. He convinced Hallie to quit her job as a manager for a catering company and manage the estate full-time instead.
She had been the one to call me over and over in the middle of the night until I picked up when she thought my granddad didn’t have much time left.
I didn’t waste a second leaving my house in Bethesda, because Hallie was always right.
She cocked her head toward the door. “The sooner you let the lawyer talk, the sooner it’s over.”
“I want to drink that whole bottle,” I said with a sigh. I wasn’t going to. But I wanted to.
She smirked. “Good luck finding it.”
I paused in the doorway and looked back at her. “You weren’t at the service.”
She lifted a shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “There was work to be done.”
“You should have been up with the family.”
“I didn’t feel like arguing with Lewis today,” Hallie said with a chuckle under her breath as she passed me in the doorway with a placating pat on my shoulder.
“First thing you learn as a parent is that you’ve got to pick your battles.
A seating arrangement is not the hill I’ll die on with that man-child. ”
“Hallie—”
“Go on,” she said dismissively. “Someone’s got to make sure the caterer is on top of things, lest we have a hungry mob on our hands.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I steeled myself and headed for the study as I pulled at my necktie. It had felt just fine this morning, but now it felt like someone was choking me.
Lewis was seated behind Granddad’s stately mahogany desk with his feet up on the work surface. He impatiently checked his watch as the lawyer sat in one of the chairs on the opposite side. His eyes flicked up to me as soon as I filled the doorway. “It’s about time,” Lewis huffed.
“Hayes Wilder?” the lawyer asked as he stood.
“Yes.”
“Robert Allen,” he said by way of introducing himself. “I’m sorry for your loss. I knew your granddad for many, many years.”
Lewis pretended to gag, then rolled his eyes. “Can we get on with it?”
Mr. Allen checked one of the many pages in the stack he held, then pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit jacket and nervously dabbed his forehead. “I’ll begin if you’re ready.”
“Hurry up,” Lewis said as he scrolled through his phone. “I have a real estate agent showing up in an hour.”
The lawyer blinked. “Right.”
I sat in the spare chair and gritted my teeth until my jaw ached at the thought of this place being sold for parts.
The lawyer cleared his throat and began to read the last will and testament of Walter Wilder.
“ ‘I, Walter Theodore Wilder, being of sound mind, do hereby make, declare, and publish my Last Will and Testament, revoking all prior wills and codicils made by me.
“ ‘I hereby give, devise, and bequeath the Wilder Estate located in Honey Hollow, Virginia, and any wealth, assets, or property associated with it, to my grandson, Hayes Thomas Wilder. From the real property included in my estate, a portion of no less than ten acres shall be conveyed to the lawful wife of my grandson.’ ”
My heart stopped. It sputtered like an old tractor as relief tried to take over, but the blatant reminder of what should have been made it seize.
Lewis’s balding head turned a concerning shade of eggplant.
“What?!” he roared as his feet hit the floor, and he rocketed out of the chair. “He gets everything?!”
The lawyer stammered, “M-Mr. Halstead, if I may continue.”
“Lewis,” I choked out. “Let him finish.”
“This is egregious!” he yelled. “This is—”
“Let the man finish!” I shouted back, shutting him up. I never let anger get the best of me, but at the moment, rage was better than debilitating heartache. I glanced at the lawyer with a look warning him that he better get on with it, then get out of dodge.
He dabbed his face with the soaked handkerchief, then continued.
“ ‘If, for any reason, Hayes Thomas Wilder fails, neglects, or refuses to make the conveyance as directed above within a reasonable period following my death, or misrepresents the upstanding reputation of the Wilder family, then my estate shall be distributed to my next living relative, Lewis Samuel Halstead, under the same conditions.
“ ‘Additionally, I hereby appoint my grandson, Lewis Samuel Halstead, to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Wilder Foundation, an organization I established for the benefit of my community and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This appointment shall be effective upon my passing.
Lewis Samuel Halstead shall serve as CEO until such time as he may choose to resign or be removed from this position by the board of trustees.
“ ‘If, in the opinion of the executor of my estate, Lewis Samuel Halstead does not fulfill the responsibilities related to the Wilder Foundation or appropriately represent the institution, I hereby designate Hayes Thomas Wilder to succeed him as CEO of the Wilder Foundation with the full authority to manage and operate the foundation, including its assets, projects, and charitable endeavors, or to name a suitable CEO in his stead, in accordance with the purposes for which the foundation was established.’ ”
Mr. Allen began to wrap up the proceedings, reading off the witnesses and notary who had officiated the document, but I drowned it out.
Lewis sat frozen in the executive chair, staring at the back wall, coiled tight like a cobra on the verge of striking.
The lawyer set the will on the edge of the desk and mopped up more beads of sweat. “My office will be open on Monday to field any questions and assist with the transfer of assets and titles.”
“You mean to tell me that he gets rich, and I get a fucking job?!” Lewis blustered in disbelief. “That’s absurd! The man was out of his mind!”
The lawyer took a deep breath and pointed to the signature line. “Mr. Wilder was of sound mind, detailing the recipients, requirements, and language well before his passing. He signed it himself in this very room.”
Lewis snatched up the papers, his beady eyes racing across each line.
“Ha!” he shouted, his finger stabbing the page.
“He’s not married. He’s not married!” Lewis jumped out of the chair, shoving the will back in the lawyer’s face.
“ ‘From the real property included in my estate, a portion of no less than ten acres shall be conveyed to the lawful wife of my grandson.’ ” Lewis paused and skimmed down the page with a manic energy.
“ ‘If Hayes Thomas Wilder fails, neglects, or refuses to make the conveyance as directed above within a reasonable period following my death, then my estate shall be distributed to my next living relative, Lewis Samuel Halstead, under the same conditions.’ ” Lewis jabbed his finger in my direction.
“He doesn’t have a wife! No wife to give land to, no estate! ”
My mind raced as the implications of the will fought for attention. If I didn’t get the estate, Lewis was the only living relative. If he got it, he would sell it for pennies on the dollar just to make a buck.
If I didn’t do something drastic to keep my place as the one inheriting the estate, Lewis would do anything to take it from me.
There was no way in hell I was letting anyone touch the land my parents and grandparents were buried on.
The lawyer let out an exhausted sigh. “Though it was Walt’s request to have it worded as such, your grandmother was the one who insisted the clause be added in the first place. She wanted the wife of the person who inherits the estate to have assets and financial security of her own.”
“You’re the executor! Make the change! He’s not married. He can’t give the land to a wife. He doesn’t get the estate!”
“Lewis!” I barked loud enough to startle him into freezing. “Sit. Down. You’re not married either, so stop terrifying the poor man. He didn’t decide what went in the will. Grandma and Granddad did.”
The tension in the room pulled tight like a bowstring about to fire. I took a steadying breath as I prepared to do the most ludicrous thing I had ever done.
There was no time for considerations or weighing the pros and cons as I always did. There was no time to make a game plan. I needed a Hail Mary, and I needed it right now.
Every logical and intrinsic thought inside my head warned me to keep my mouth shut before I said, “I’m engaged.”
Lewis’s flushed skin turned a ghastly gray as he stammered. “You’re…You’re…”
I looked at the lawyer and saw the relief painted on his face.
“No!” Lewis shouted as his momentary shock turned to belligerence. “You’re not! You’re lying!”
I just lifted my hands as if to say, “It is what it is.” If I was going to pull this off, I had to keep my lies to a minimum. The more details I offered, the more they would have to pick apart.
“Who’s your fiancée?!” Lewis shouted. “Who? Give me a name! I’ve never once heard you talk about getting married!”
I lifted an eyebrow, trying to keep my poker face cool, calm, and collected. “You’re not part of this family unless it serves you. Why would I have told you I was getting married? When was the last time we even had a conversation?”
“This is bullshit!” he clamored as he shoved away from the desk in a fit of anger. He paused at the door and stabbed his finger at me. “You’re lying! I know you’re lying!”
I wasn’t about to argue with him. Because if I argued with him, I’d have to produce a fiancée.
One I actually had to marry.
Lewis ripped open the study door and nearly steamrolled Hallie.
“I take it you’re not staying for lunch,” she said with a brow arched in amusement.
“Fuck off!” Lewis snapped.
Guests milling about stopped and stared as he blew out of the study, raging as he stomped through the house.
I turned back to the lawyer. “My apologies.”
He shrugged a willowy shoulder. “It’s how these things usually go. Most families just have more people and less money. Same amount of drama.”
My appetite was paltry after the funeral, but now it had completely vanished. “I’ll be in touch with your office on Monday to work out the details.”
Because I suddenly had a much, much bigger problem on my hands than my half brother being pissed. Ghosts began to fill the sun-drenched study. It was as if I could see my parents and grandparents standing in front of the window, wondering what had just possessed me.
The lawyer excused himself with perfunctory condolences and left as Hallie poked her head into the room. “How’d it go?”
I slumped in the chair and loosened my tie as I stared at the empty seat where Walt Wilder used to sit. “I need to find a wife.”